Thursday, 11th February, 2021

Printer Friendly and PDF

Thursday, 11th February, 2021

 

The House met at 1430 hours

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 

PRAYER

 

_______

 

MOTION

 

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS 6, 7 AND 12

 

The Vice-President (Mrs Wina): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that Standing Orders 6, 7 and 12 of the National Assembly of Zambia Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Temporary Standing Orders 2020 and Standing Order 26 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Order 2016, be suspended to enable the House to sit from 0900 hours until Business has been concluded on Friday, 12th February, 2021, and also to omit the Vice-President’s Question Time from the Order Paper.

 

Sir, as the House is aware, Article 86(1), as read together with Article 9(2) of the Constitution of Zambia and Standing Order No. 11 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders 2016 requires the President of the Republic of Zambia to attend Parliament and report to the House progress made in the application of the National Values and Principles contained in the Constitution of Zambia. In this regard, His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu will attend and address the House and the nation at large tomorrow, Friday, 12th February, 2021.

 

Mr Speaker, Standing Orders 6 and 7 of the National Assembly of Zambia Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Temporary Standing Orders 2020 provides that the House shall sit from 0900 hours to 1200 hours on Fridays. In addition, Standing Order 7 provides for procedure for automatic adjournment. Standing Order 11 of the National Assembly of Zambia COVID-19 Temporary Standing Orders 2020 provides for the Vice-President’s Question Time and Standing Order 26 of the National Assembly of Zambia, Standing Orders 2016 provides for the daily routine of Business of the House.

 

Sir, it is in this regard that I move this Motion to suspend the above Standing Orders in order to facilitate the State of the Nation Address (SONA) by His Excellency the President. This is a straight forward and non-controversial Motion. Therefore, I urge all hon. Members to support it.

 

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

 

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, as I rise to support the Motion that has been moved by Her Honour the Vice-President, I would like to state that tomorrow’s address is particularly interesting and important to the nation of Zambia considering that this is the last address by the President of the Republic of Zambia during this life of Parliament.

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, as the President comes to address the nation tomorrow, the nation is particularly interested to know the issues that he is going to address, taking into account that in the next six months, we are going to hold general elections. Every Zambian is expectant that as we proceed to hold General Elections on 12th August, there should be peace and tranquility in this country and that every political party that is aspiring for Presidency or to have representation in Parliament in this country is given free space, in accordance with the Constitution of Zambia. It is, therefore, my expectation that the President will particularly address issues of political violence in this country.

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Member, resume your seat.

 

Mr Mwiimbu resumed his seat.

 

Mr Speaker: I appreciate the sentiments you are expressing. They are certainly very important to our national life. However, at this juncture, the Motion under discussion, essentially, is simply to suspend the Standing Orders to facilitate the delivery of the address. As you know, it goes without saying, after the address, then, you can interrogate and highlight the various issues. If I permit this to go on, then, we will be pre-emptying the debate, and in any event, at this juncture, we are not even aware about the trajectory this address will take. This is a purely procedural Motion.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I hear your counsel, and as I now decide to revisit my earlier support pertaining to the Motion that has been moved by Her Honour the Vice-President, I would like to state why I have now decided to object.

 

Mr Speaker, I am objecting to the Motion that is being moved by Her Honour the Vice-President on the premise that the President of the Republic of Zambia has been coming to this House making pronouncements which he has not honoured. Violence has increased and the violation and abuse of human rights has continued. As a result of his non-adherence to the pronouncements he is making, I object that we suspend the Standing Orders and expect the President to come and address us on issues which he does not honour.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Mwiimbu, Member of Parliament for Monze Central, for his contribution. However, I think the contribution has taken another dimension because the address to the National Assembly by the President of the Republic is mandatory. It is a Constitutional mandate that the President should appear before the House and deliver an Address on National Values and Principles pertaining to the governance of this country.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Member and his hon. Members for supporting the Motion, and the general hon. Members for supporting this Motion.

 

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

_______

 

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

 

PURPORTED ISSUANCE OF NATIONAL REGISTRATION CARDS TO NON-ELIGIBLE PERSONS

 

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, I would like to start by thanking you for giving me this opportunity to render a ministerial statement on the purported issuance of National Registration Cards (NRCs) to non-eligible persons during the 2020 Mobile Issuance of NRCs Exercise. The exercise was intended to provide access to the acquisition of NRCs by citizens who have attained the age of sixteen and above, especially those who cannot easily reach District National Registration Offices.

 

Sir, the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Department of National Registration Passport and Citizenship, is charged with the responsibility of conducting national civil registration and the issuance of travel documents. The department also facilitates the acquisition of citizenship. The mandate is derived from the National Registration Act 126, Passport Act No. 28 of 2016, Citizenship Act No.33 of 2016, Birth and Deaths Registration Act Cap 51 of the Laws of Zambia, Marriage Act Cap 51 of the Laws of Zambia and Adoption Act Cap 54 of the Laws of Zambia. National registration entails registration of all eligible persons and issuing them with appropriate NRCs as a legal identity in accordance with the National Registration Act Cap 126 of the Laws of Zambia. This undertaking is conducted on a continuous and outreach basis. Between 1st August and 4th November, 2020, outreach activities were conducted in form of a mobile national registration exercise. This undertaking was countrywide, and it was carried out in two phases. Each of these phases covered five provinces.

 

Mr Speaker, as I indicated in my last ministerial statement on the 2020 Mobile Issuance of NRCs, the Ministry of Home Affairs planned to issue a total number of 1,500 NRCs to eligible Zambians. To this end, I am proud to report that the ministry performed above target, as total of 1,592,970 NRCs were issued between 1st August and 4th November, 2020, representing 106 per cent overall performance.

 

Sir, such a mammoth task could not have gone without challenges. Prior to the exercise, in January 2019, the Department of National Registration Passports and Citizenship lost a total number of 1,500 blank NRCs in the serial number range between Z14228001 to Z14229500. This matter was reported to the Zambia Police Service which, in turn, instituted investigations. Three officers from the Department of National Registration, Passports and Citizenship have been arrested and will appear before the courts of law soon.

 

Sir, on 18th October, 2020, two officials from a known Opposition political party, while being featured on a Muvi Television Programme known as the “Assignment”, produced a large stack of NRCs that they claimed to have been irregularly issued. One of the NRCs displayed on this television programme was discovered to have had a serial number Z14228282 which was within the range of the lost 1,500 blank NRCs.

 

Mr Ngulube: Eeh!

 

Mr Kampyongo: The Zambia Police Service has since arrested the two officials for forgery, uttering of false a document and being in possession of property believed to have been stolen or feloniously obtained.

 

Sir, it is disheartening to note that some sections of society have been spreading falsehoods that NRCs were or are being issued to under age children and to foreigners. This misinformation and propaganda is carefully orchestrated to discredit the Government. Let me assure the nation, through this august House, just like I did when I last addressed the House on these matters, that the Department of National Registration, Passports and Citizenship is strictly adhering to the provisions of the law in the implementation of its programmes.

 

Sir, on 13th September, 2020, during Phase I of the Mobile Issuance of NRCs, a very disturbing incident happened at Chitamba Mobile Registration Centre in Lukashya Constituency of Kasama District. The brief facts of the events leading to the theft and damage of national registration equipment are that, on the material date, at about 1330 hours, five men clad in United Party for National Development (UPND) regalia approached the mobile team and grabbed a set of equipment which included a thermal photo printer, a touch screen monitor, a camera, two typewriters, a generator set and other materials. They harassed and threatened violence against the officers who fled for their safety. The matter was reported to the police, who instituted investigations and, so far, police have managed to arrest five suspects who were detained in police custody and later charged with the offence of aggravated robbery and malicious damage to property. The suspects have since appeared in the courts of law.

 

Mr Speaker, as a way to mitigate illegal and irregular activities, the Government is in the process of rolling out the Integrated National Registration and Information System (INRIS). The INRIS is a system for electronic civil registration of all Zambian citizens, demographic and biometric attributes and ultimate issuance of the biometric enabled digital NRC. The system will also act as a single most secure source of verifying and identifying citizenship status of persons living in Zambia whether indigenous citizens, residents or migrants and facilitate access to transactional and non-transactional public services. It will also reduce expenditure by the Government Treasury for investments in similar identification infrastructure dotted in various institutions.

 

Mr Speaker, I wish to report that the implementation of the INRIS, which has taken a multi-sectoral approach, has commenced. The following ministries and institutions have been actively involved:

 

  1. Cabinet Office;
  2. Smart Zambia Institute (SZI);
  3. Ministry of Finance; Ministry of National Development Planning;
  4. Ministry of Health; Ministry of Transport and Communications;
  5. Ministry of Community Development and Social Services; Ministry of Agriculture;
  6. the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA);
  7. Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA); National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA);
  8. Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ);
  9. Bank of Zambia;
  10. Zambia Telecommunications Corporation (ZAMTEL);
  11. National Savings and Credit Bank (NATSAVE);
  12. Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA);
  13. Infratel; and
  14. Zambia National Airports Corporation (ZNAC)

 

Mr Speaker, these stakeholders are co-ordinated through a governance structure which has a national steering committee, a project management committee and five technical working groups, namely management, legal and policy, enrolment and training, infrastructure, software and standards and resource mobilisation.

 

Sir, allow me to now update this august House on what has been done so far as follows:

 

  1. in order to attain collection of multi biometrics, the Government has amended Statutory Instrument No.34 of 2019 to include for collection of other biometrics such as iris, facial and Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) in a prescribed manner;
  2. a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been entered into with all Government and quasi-Government institutions earmarked to be appointed as registration agencies. This will ensure that transmission and sharing of data from enrolment centres to the central critical data base shall be done in a more secure manner;
  3. upgrading of the automated biometrics information systems software has been completed and deployed at Infratel in Lusaka in readiness for collection of biometrics;
  4. the Government has procured 150 biometrics kits and one engraver. These are already in the country; and
  5. the project secretariat has been set up at the Department of National Registration, Passports and Citizenship to co-ordinate implementation of activities.

 

Mr Speaker, I want to assure this august House and, through it, the nation at large that with the K9 million in the 2021 Budget and funds pledged by partners, the ministry intends to begin the collection of biometric data once the enrolment kits are deployed in the course of the year.

 

Mr Speaker, this exercise is critical and, as such, I wish to call upon all stakeholders and hon. Members of this august House to support it.

                                                                                           

Mr Speaker, as I conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to caution those who are using social media and other platforms to spread falsehoods that the long arm of the law will visit them regardless of their status in society. The Government will not allow desperate politicians to discredit democratic processes through transmission of messages of hatred and propaganda.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement given by the hon. Minister.

 

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, I thank you –

 

Mr Mwiimbu: On a point of order, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I rise on a very serious procedural point of order. You have guided, on several occasions, that matters that are in court cannot be discussed on the Floor of this House. I heard the hon. Minister of Home Affairs talk about two officials of the United Party for National Development (UPND), who were arrested and charged. He further went on to give evidence pertaining to the case that is before the court in Mansa.

 

Sir, as if that was not enough, he further went on to mislead the House and the nation that five UPND cadres were charged with aggravated robbery in Kasama pertaining to National Registration Cards (NRCs). There is no UPND cadre who has been arrested and charged with aggravated robbery over NRCs in this country.

 

Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister in order to mislead the nation pertaining to the issues he has raised and that the matters are in court? Is he able to lay documents on the Table proving that five UPND cadres have been charged with aggravated robbery in Kasama if he has evidence? Is he able to do that? Is he in order to start misleading the House over matters that are in court and which are not factual, as he is indicating?

 

Mr Speaker: My ruling is that your point of order, hon. Leader of the Opposition, essentially, raises two points. Firstly, it is whether it is competent for this august House to debate a matter which is in court and, secondly, whether the details, which the hon. Minister of Home Affair has adverted to, are true.

 

On the first point, I have stated this, on several occasions, and particularly in one seminal ruling I rendered in the recent past. In that ruling, I indicated that whether a matter is sub judice and, therefore, cannot be debated before the House lies within the discretion of the Speaker. In other words, the Speaker or any other presiding officer will weigh the prejudice that may arise by allowing the debate to proceed. We are very careful to consider the depth and width of the debates.

 

I am sure you recall, being a very senior hon. Member of the House, that we have made reference to matters before the courts. However, what we have ensured, as presiding officers, is not to go in any depth in debating those matters, especially if the debate is likely to prejudice the court proceedings.

 

At this juncture, I am not satisfied that the brief reference to matters that are in court can, in any way, prejudice the proceedings before the courts of law. Therefore, I cannot direct the hon. Minister of Home Affairs, at this juncture, not to proceed with reference to those court matters. That is the first part of my ruling.

 

The second part of my ruling is inviting me to determine the veracity of the statement by the hon. Minister of Home Affairs as to whether, indeed, any matters before the court, as stated in his ministerial statement, are true. I have no basis, at this juncture, upon which I can impeach the statement that has been rendered by the hon. Minister of Home Affairs. However, my counsel is that the hon. Leader of the Opposition, in the question and answer session, which is now about to ensue, will be at liberty to test the veracity of those matters.

 

Therefore, I cannot rule at this point that, indeed, that statement is untrue. Surely, on what basis would I do that? I am not privy to those proceedings. I do not know the details of those proceedings. So, how can I rule that they are untrue? However, you are at liberty to hold the hon. Minister to account on the statement that he has given. That is my ruling.

 

The hon. Member for Namwala was on the Floor and she may continue.

 

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, it is really alarming that under the Patriotic Front (PF) Government, public officers have been subjected to so many irregular activities such as what the hon. Minister has just stated.

 

Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has also just informed the nation that there are some officials of the United Party for National Development (UPND) who are facing charges of aggravated robbery. May he kindly inform the nation the names of those UPND officials who are facing aggravated robbery charges? As he knows, aggravated robbery is a non-bailable offense.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I acknowledge the follow up question from the hon. Member of Parliament for Namwala, but will avoid involving myself in those baseless allegations she was trying to make as she was posing the question.

 

Mr Speaker, it is in public knowledge and I stated the events. I have not gone into the details. We benefit from your wise counsel and know that the wisdom you have come with from the bench has benefited this august House immensely and that we must acknowledge.

 

Sir, I made reference to the events that transpired in Kasama District. To be specific, and for the avoidance of doubt, their Deputy Secretary-General, Mr Patrick Mucheleka, was among the five suspects who were initially charged, as I highlighted. They appeared in court and they stayed in incarceration for a reasonable period of time as a result of the charges. I would not want to go into what the courts decided, which allowed them to be released on bail. So, these matters were taken to court and it is the court that decided which charges to sustain from the docket. That is how they probably found themselves released on bail. I do not know the names of the other suspects, but I know the key person there was their Deputy Secretary-General, Mr Patrick Mucheleka, who is a former hon. Member of Parliament for Luwingu.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Lihefu (Manyinga): Mr Speaker, –

 

Ms Lubezhi: On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, my point of order is on the hon. Minister of Home Affairs. Is he in order to say that I am making baseless accusations when it is the hon. Minister himself who has just presented a ministerial statement? Is he in order to comfortably say that there are members of the United Party for National Development (UPND) who are facing charges of aggravated robbery, which he knows is non-bailable. The Deputy Secretary-General he is referring to is at the UPND secretariat as I speak. How could the hon. Minister say that I am making baseless accusations when aggravated robbery is a non-bailable offence? Is he in order to insinuate that the UPND officials are facing charges of aggravated robbery when the person he has just mentioned is free and not behind bars?

 

Mr Speaker: My ruling is that if we have specific questions for the hon. Minister, please, engage him.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Speaker: You see, to drive or drag the Chair into these issues, which largely turn on factual matters, makes it very difficult for us to make determinations. I am unable to determine what charge has been leveled, whether or not that charge is correct and, then, to apply the semantics, whether there is a base or no base, whether the word ‘baseless’ is fair in the circumstances or not, in the absence of the material which I am able to evaluate. I do not have the material. However, the hon. Minister of Home Affairs has made a statement. So, engage him. That is my ruling. You see, points of order may not be useful in the circumstances we are in. I think what may be more useful is for you to engage the hon. Minister by asking him questions. Taste the veracity, if you will, of what he has stated in the statement. That is what you should be doing.

 

The hon. Member for Manyinga may proceed.

 

Mr Lihefu: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for this opportunity. Before I proceed with my question, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the statement.

 

Sir, some people in certain sectors of Zambia have been saying that the Zambian Government is issuing National Registration Cards (NRCs) to foreigners and the under-aged. In his statement, the hon. Minister has said that some police officers have been found wanting. Why does the hon. Minister think the people of Zambia and the security officers are taking the law into their hands? Furthermore, what long-term measures has the Government put in place to ensure that such does not happen again?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I would like to appreciate the hon. Member for that question. I will start by correcting the impression of what the hon. Member got.

 

Sir, in my statement, I did not mention the aspect of finding police officers wanting. I stated that three officials from the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship have been arrested on suspicion of having been connected to the theft of 1,500 blank NRCs. That is what I said, and not that police officers were found wanting. Secondly, I referred to the issue of propaganda.

 

Mr Speaker, we have had unpatriotic citizens who orchestrated a scheme, from inception, to try and discredit the Government. The scheme did not just end up with the issuance of the NRCs, but went on up to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ). Some unscrupulous characters were parading children, giving them NRCs of older people, taking pictures of them and circulating them on social media. The investigations have advanced to zero in on the culprits of those activities. Like I assured the House, we shall make sure that the long arm of the law visits all of them.

 

Sir, the second aspect I raised was on foreigners. Again, I was referring to the pieces of legislation administered by the Department National Registration, Passport and Citizenship. Any foreign national, who comes into the country and, by following procedures, becomes a resident and eligible to apply for Zambian citizenship, has to follow the laid down procedures.

 

Mr Speaker, those who attempt to use shortcuts have always been dealt with, in accordance with the law. A number of the culprits who attempted to take advantage of the mobile issuance of NRCs have appeared before the courts of law. Some of them have already been convicted. Others have already served sentences and the procedures have been followed to deport them, as it were. Therefore, no matter that relates to foreign nationals who attempt to acquire citizenship using illegal means is left unattended when reported.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

Hon. Members, I have also received requests on the Zoom platform from hon. Members for Kasenengwa, Chienge and the hon. Member for Liuwa. Therefore, I will be alternating between the two lists. I will now invite the hon. Member for Kasenengwa.

 

Mr S. Banda (Kasenengwa): Mr Speaker, it is gratifying to know that the Government has made strides towards the implementation of the Integrated National Registration and Information System (INRIS) for the issuance of National Registration Cards (NRCs). However, the hon. Minister talked about social media propaganda, which borders on criminality. Considering that we are going into an election, what proactive measures have been put in place to ensure that this will act as a deterrent to would-be offenders?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, indeed, the INRIS Project is the way to go. We want to move with all the African Union (AU) member states that have decided to take this paradigm shift of changing the way we have undertaken the aspects of civil registration. So, this will entail that we start identifying Zambian citizens at birth all the way until the time they attain the mandatory age of sixteen years to be issued with identity documents. Therefore, we are intensifying birth registration through the said ICT platforms and ensuring that we roll out birth registration to all parts of the country, which will be the basis for identifying citizens.

 

Sir, I speak as the Chairperson of Committee of Ministers responsible for civil registration on the African Continent. So, we cannot lag behind when we have been given the opportunity to chair this very important continental programme.

 

Mr Speaker, the hon. Member talked about propaganda and the misuse of Information ICT and social media platforms. I want to assure him and the nation that we are doing everything possible to address this issue. We have come up with a national taskforce comprised of people from law enforcement agencies, which is going to deal with those who are behind social media propaganda. I want to advise my hon. Colleagues on the left that embracing propaganda is a double-edged sword. Recently, we saw that our hon. Colleagues have even introduced people who are responsible for information dissemination in their party structure. These are positions for propagandists. This means that they are institutionalising propaganda and the spreading of hatred and misinformation. That will come to haunt my dear hon. Colleagues. They may get away with it now that they are in the Opposition, but that is a sword they are creating for themselves.

 

Mr Speaker, as I said, the Government has established this taskforce. Further, the Government, through the Ministry of Transport and Communication, brought a Bill here, which Bill has already been presented to address those issues. The work of this taskforce will be to pursue offenders of social media. We are seeing the misuse of social media being addressed in developed countries. They are not taking social media misuse and criminality lightly. They are punishing even people of high status who misuse social media. You can imagine a sitting President being blacked out on social media. We have to learn from such practices in order to safeguard this nation because if mismanaged, social media can put this country on fire. We, as a responsible sitting Government, cannot allow the misuse of social media to happen.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo): Mr Speaker, as you guided, I would like to test the veracity of the hon. Minister’s statement. He stated that there was a case of aggravated robbery and the loss or theft of 1,500 blank National Registration Cards (NRCs). He also said that the people involved were arrested, and amongst them, was the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Party of the National Development (UPND).

 

Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Home Affairs is aware that aggravated robbery is non-bailable. I am sure that he is very much aware of that. He is also aware that charging people is not within the jurisdiction of the court, but that of the prosecution. Given those two facts, and given the fact that he stated that it was aggravated robbery, which is non-bailable, why were these people, including the one he said is the Deputy Secretary-General of the UPND, released on bail? Is there not a contradiction there? Could the hon. Minister explain that discrepancy? I am testing the veracity of his statement.

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I will start by educating the hon. Member on how things work. The police arrested suspects and charged them. Then, they prepared a docket which they forwarded to the National Prosecution Authority (NPA). The NPA went to court with that docket. If that charge of aggravated robbery was dropped in the courts of law, it is not for me to get into that detail. I gave the events as they unfolded. This is on record. Even the hon. Member knows very well that the dear comrade I referred to, whom I know very well –

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, withdraw the word “comrade.”

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, I am sorry. The dear former hon. Member of Parliament I referred to is now their Deputy Secretary-General. He stayed in incarceration for a long time because of that charge. If that charge was dropped in the courts of law, as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) prosecuted it in court, it does not mean I have made any misrepresentation. That is what should be understood. I gave the genesis of the event and the information on how it unfolded, that is, how the attack on the officers was done, the suspects who were rounded up, and the charges that were initially slapped on the suspects. So, there is no misrepresentation of facts.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Ms Katuta (Chienge): Mr Speaker, I heard the hon. Minister say that biometric information will be collected from citizens in order to have data that includes biometrics. I must thank the Government for coming up with that idea. However, I would like to find out how this is going to work. I heard some hon. Members of Parliament accuse Chienge of this and that, and as the Member of Parliament for Chienge, I was not too happy. How will biometric National Registration Cards (NRCs) be issued? Is it going to be done at the point of birth or when somebody attains the usual sixteen years old? In South Africa, once a child is born, he/she is given an identity number. Is that how we are going to do it so that we do not have accusations like the ones I referred to about Chienge?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, like I said, we are trying to get member states that have lagged behind in automating civil registration processes to improve on that. The country she referred to has advanced in civil registration. Our intention is to start identifying Zambian citizens at birth. That is why you will notice that the Ministry of Health is included on the list of stakeholders we have brought on board because most births occur in hospitals. There will be linkages created between health facilities and the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship Office through e-platforms. The collection of biometrics will be happening as children are born. However, we cannot ignore the elderly citizens who have already acquired NRCs. Biometric features differ from one individual to another. Therefore, the use of biometrics is the only surest way of identifying individuals. The classic example of biometrics is what we saw the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) do. It was collecting thumbprints because thumbprints of individuals differ; they are unique to each individual. You cannot duplicate thumbprints.

 

Mr Speaker, we are going to make sure that biometrics form part of the identification of citizens. When we roll out the programme, we shall go to the people just like we conduct outreach programmes like mobile registration. We will also reach people through the offices we have established across the country. Those offices will have kits which will be used to get the biometrics of all Zambian citizens, including the iris and other features that I mentioned in my statement. No one will be left behind as we migrate. Everybody will be brought on board. We are doing this gradually, and we are using a multi-sectoral approach.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: From the Electronic Chamber (E-Chamber), I will the last questions or interventions from the hon. Member for Sioma, the hon. Member for Mumbwa, the hon. Member for Sikongo and the hon. Member for Ikeleng’i. On the Zoom platform, I have only the hon. Member for Liuwa. Thereafter, we move on to the next segment of our business this afternoon.

 

Ms Subulwa (Sioma): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister brought to light some of the issues that go on that we do not know about, as a country. For example, the so-called propaganda that goes on to just get political mileage at the end of the day, which I think is not healthy for our country.

 

Mr Speaker, while we want to appreciate the new system that the Government is trying to bring about, we think that there should be some kind of smooth transition into the new system. We still have a challenge with the old system.

 

Mr Speaker, has the Ministry of Home Affairs met its targets for the just ended mobile issuance of National Registration Cards (NRCs) exercise? We still have a number of people who were not captured during the previous NRC mobile registration exercise that took place.

 

Mr Speaker, how does the ministry hope to capture the people from Lukulushitu, Mwanzi and Katabanamebo in Sioma? How does it hope to assist the people who were not captured? Quite a number of stations were not captured. How does the ministry hope to help people in those stations to access their NRCs so that they can be proud to be Zambians?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the propaganda has not even worked for those who are propagandist. We have had people win elections using propaganda and social media in several elections that we have engaged in. So, it does not pay. Those who will be unfortunate will end up spending time in our correctional facilities.

 

Mr Ngulube: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Kampyongo: As regards the transition, we are very mindful. That is why we made sure that we allowed the electoral processes to go on. That exercise we undertook was to make sure that we do not get these programmes to bring about misunderstandings. We wanted to make sure that the implementation of this programme is properly structured. The initial programme that was started, which was supported by the United Nations (UN), was just intended to capacitate the electoral processes.

 

However, Mr Speaker, we realised that civil registration is not limited to electoral processes. We understood that the identification of citizens should start from birth, like we shall be identifying them. Identity numbers will be given to children as they are born until they gradually get to the age of sixteen. So, we are going to manage the transition very well. The infrastructure is being put in place in order to ensure that the migration is properly done.

 

Mr Speaker, we have done this before. If you go to the passport office, you will see the way we are moving with the rest of world in terms of giving our people passports that can allow them to go to any country where their passports are readable, in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

 

Mr Speaker, we have migrated the system at the Immigration Department from the booklets which we used to give to people and on which we used to spend so much money. We are now generating documentation such as permits from the systems. That is what we want to see.

 

Mr Speaker, the current identity regime we have of NRCs is quite porous. That is why you can see people do all sorts of wrong things like playing around with national documents that they should not even be doing.

 

Mr Speaker, this will be the surest way of safeguarding the integrity of the nation because identification of citizens is very cardinal. You may only understand it when you see a person trying to rule you and you realise that this is not a citizen and then challenges begin.

 

Mr Speaker, this is very important and, therefore, we are not taking chances in terms of how it gets implemented and how it is migrated from being paper based to automated systems. I want to assure the hon. colleague and the nation that we are going to put systems in pace that will stand the test of time.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister did at one time announce on the Floor of the House the targets for new National Registration Cards (NRCs) to be provided province by province. In the case of Luapula Province, the target was 100,000 new NRCs. However, when he came to give progress, in Luapula, new NRCs issued were 180,000, which is almost double the target. These targets are not just dreamt about, but are carefully estimated by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) using known scientific methods.     

 

Mr Speaker, in view of this huge unexpected gap between the NRC target in Luapula and the almost double actual result, it raises the possibility that in Luapula, people from outside the province could have gone there because to double the actual from the target is very unusual.

 

So, in view of this strange phenomenon, why is it that when reports of the possibility of foreigners acquiring NRCs in Luapula are raised, the focus of the Government has been to arrest those who are making these reports instead of focusing on carrying out investigations, especially in a province like Luapula, where the difference between the target and actual results have been so large and, of course, is just next door to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)? Why has the Government focused on arresting the whistleblowers rather than investigating this huge anomaly?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member for Liuwa has singled out Luapula Province. Yes, I came on the Floor of this august House and made pronouncements. The projected target was 100,000 and the actual National Registration Cards (NRCs) issued were 181,041. The hon. Member is well vested with these issues of figures and I agree with him that these projections are made by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and can be plus or minus in some cases. He also knows that this is a land linked country. The province where he comes from is linked to other neighbouring countries like Angola and other countries. He knows the challenges that we deal with on a daily basis with the people who are on the borderlines. People have relatives on either side of the border. However, the reason we make sure that we combine teams as they undertake these very important exercises such as the National Registration Cards (NRC) mobile registration is that officers from the Immigration Department have to look out for unscrupulous foreign nationals who would want to take advantage of the exercise. There are a number of cases and I came to this august House to talk about the number of people who were arrested attempting to obtain NRCs.

                                                                                                                   

Mr Speaker, it is, therefore, not fair to insinuate that this high number of NRCs issued is attributed to the number of foreigners who came from outside the nation. For what purpose would that be? Why would a responsible Government get foreigners to obtain NRCs? Who does that and for what purpose? If it is for elections, we know how the polling stations are characterised by transparency. If, indeed, people think that it is for electoral purposes, when people queue to vote, they are able to see and recognise each other. For example, an hon. Member from a rural area can recognise a fellow Member of Parliament of a rural constituency. Most of these constituencies are rural and people will be able to tell a foreigner and ask him/her what he/she has come to do. Where would that happen? So, let us not create insinuations that cannot be substantiated.

 

Mr Speaker, the proximity of Luapula to other nations is similar to the proximity of the province where the hon. Member comes from, which is the Western Province, to other countries. The hon. Member knows what happens and how people flock. Would he say that the number of people in the Western Province is high because of the people who come from across the country? That is totally unfair. That is something that we, collectively, must address.

 

Mr Speaker, yes, we got the projected targets from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the actual numbers that we got could be plus or minus. I will repeat that it is not correct to insinuate that the high number of people registered in Luapula is as a result of people who came from outside Luapula and across the country. The proximity of Luapula to other nations is similar to the proximity of the Western Province to other countries. It is so with the North-Western Province, the Northern Province and the Southern Province. Therefore, the insinuation is not fair.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Nanjuwa (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, there was an incident in which officers who were issuing National Registration Cards (NRCs) were attacked by a group of people and equipment and other materials were grabbed from them. As far as I know, when officers are going round conducting mobile registration exercise, they have security officers in their midst. Where those suspects armed, seeing as the registration exercise officials were reported to have scampered for their lives? Where was the security officer who was supposed to accompany the officers?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, again, I appreciate the hon. Member’s follow up question, but those are now details he wants me to start going into. Those are details that we can leave to the courts. I can only talk about the event to the extent of what happened. As to whether there was police officer or not, are matters that will be subject to determination in the courts of law.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker gave the Floor to the hon. Member for Sikongo.

 

Mr Ndalamei was not available.

 

Mr Speaker: I will have the last intervention from the hon. Member for Ikeleng’i.

 

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, on which basis do they take the estimations when they want to conduct these activities? When we add 100 per cent to an estimate, could we say that it was wrong? Estimates should be plus or minus 5 or 10 per cent. Why should this go to almost 100 per cent? How do we trust the estimates which they had put in place with Luapula going almost up to 90 per cent and the other places to 5 to 10 per cent? How do we rely on the estimates that were put in place? Were they just guess work or a reality?

 

Mr Speaker: The question, as I understand, is simply: What is the basis of estimate?

 

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the basis of the estimated or projected figures that we had given was derived from the Zambia Population Estimates 2015 to 2035 from the CSO. That is where the estimates were derived from. I think, partly, the hon. Member of Parliament for Liuwa had stated something contrary to the speculation the hon. Member is trying to make.

 

Mr Speaker, we can only congratulate those who performed well in areas such as Luapula Province and others because they intensified sensitisation. When we said that stakeholders should come on board, hon. Members of Parliament and other stakeholders played their role and appreciated the importance of this exercise. While others were busy here not wanting to be on the ground, hon. Members of Parliament in Luapula and other areas took this seriously and sensitised their members of the public to ensure that they appreciated and took advantage because it only happens once.

                                                                                                                  

Sir, those of us who come from rural areas know how long it takes for our people to move from far flung areas to access district offices. So, we can only commend those who worked very hard such as those from Luapula Province, the Northern Province, including the Southern Province, which also performed fairly well. The overall performance was 106 per cent, almost in the same range even though the hon. Member of Parliament was saying 5 per cent.

 

Mr Speaker, the people of Zambia must have confidence that the institutions that are in place to deal with matters of national interest are manned by professionals. For those who are found wanting, there is no one who is above the law. Those who want to take advantage of being civil servants when they must be loyal and dedicated to serving their fellow citizens, must not be the ones to dip their hands into the property that belongs to the Government. We are taking a very firm stand against such conduct and are going to punish them together with their collaborators in breaking the law.

 

Sir, I heard someone saying that we are focusing on arresting people who are blowing the whistle. How do you alert authorities by presenting stolen property and say, “here is stolen property’? We will ask you how you got in possession of that stolen property, then, it becomes a problem.

 

Mr Speaker, we are not targeting anyone. However, if one breaks the law with impunity like we saw people appearing on television with stolen property, that, we cannot tolerate. We are going to deal with that firmly.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

_______

 

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

 

IMPASSABLE MONZE/NICO ROAD

 

130. Mr Michelo (Bweengwa) asked the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure:

 

  1. whether the Government is aware that the Monze/Niko Road has become impassable, thereby, cutting off Bweengwa Parliamentary Constituency from the rest of the country;
  2. what urgent measures will be undertaken to make the road motorable and restore the connectivity of Bweengwa to the rest of the country; and
  3. why the contractor abandoned the project in 2016 after tarring only 30 km out of the 50 km.

 

The Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development (Mr Mwale): Mr Speaker, the Government is aware of the current state of the sections of the Monze/Niko Road affected by recent rains in the area.

 

Mr Speaker, the Government, through the Road Development Agency (RDA), is preparing to conduct emergency repair works on the affected sections of the road, including works on damaged culverts.

 

Sir, the Monze/Niko Road has not been abandoned, as the Government, through the RDA, has rescoped the works on the road project following directives to rescope some road works from bituminous standard to gravel to prioritise projects, especially those above 80 per cent complete, and to reduce pressure on the Treasury by not contracting any new debt through contractor facilitated initiatives. The Government remains committed to ensuring that the entire stretch is motorable and that no community is cut-off.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mrs Chinyama (Kafue): Mr Speaker, in sympathising with my hon. Colleague from Bweengwa, I would like to find out whether there is a deliberate adhoc arrangement for the Government to deal with roads that have become extremely impassable during this rainy season. I have in mind the road that the hon. Member is talking about, and there is one which has been doing rounds on social media in Kazungula. In Chiawa, within my constituency, we also have such bad roads. Has the Government got some contingency funds to deal with roads that are in such impassable state?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, yes, the Government, through the National Roads Fund Agency (NRFA), has set aside some funds to attend to emergencies such as this one. In fact, in the last two disbursements that were made by the Ministry of Finance, some money was set aside for such each time payments were made. Like I said the other day, monies in excess of K20 million were put aside for emergency works, and this is where we are getting the monies that we are using. This includes K125,000 that has already been released for the RDA to be on site in Bweengwa. So, yes, there is some money, and the Ministry of Finance is working to provide even more money because it seems there is so much happening as a result of heavy rains. As a result, there are a lot of emergency works we have to attend to, including those in Chiawa and Kazungula, that we are hearing about. We will be on the ground and make sure we attend to them using the emergency funds that we have.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: I will take four more interventions and thereafter, we will move on. These interventions are from hon. Members for Ikeleng’i, Manyinga, Kasempa and the last is from the hon. Member for Chasefu.

 

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, it is glorifying to hear that there is some money set aside for emergency works just like the hon. Minister said, a few days ago that there were works being carried out. When are the works in Bweengwa going to start, and how much money has been set aside for the Monze/Niko Road?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, a team from the RDA is already on the ground. The agency has already drawn about K125,000 for it to be on the ground and start checking on culverts and everything. In short, minor works have commenced. The request made for these emergency works on the Bweengwa Road alone is K7 million, and we should be able to provide that. Like I said, more than K20 million was already set aside. So, it really depends on the weather. If it permits, the team can continue to carry out major works. If the weather does not permit, then, the works have to wait until the rains subside before the team begins to work. So, it is not a question of funds or personnel because the people are already on the ground. It is now a question of the weather. Therefore, it will be difficult for me to ascertain exactly which day they can begin to carry out major works.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Michelo: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the wonderful promise. However, I have been promised on the Floor of this House several times that the road would be worked on. How can I believe the hon. Minister this time around that the works will begin soon? Could the hon. Minister try to be realistic with me so that I can assure the people of Bweengwa that works will begin on such and such a day.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I do not know why the hon. Member finds it hard to believe this Government that has done so much in this country. We promised to construct the Kazungula Bridge, and we have it in place. We promised the Mongu/Kalabo Road, and we have it in place. We promised several things such as new airports and we have them in place. What is this work that just requires K7 million that he should not trust us on? He has to learn to trust this Government. I said, once the weather permits, this road will be worked on. We have the money in place.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Ms Tambatamba (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the assurances to the people of Bweengwa. I am sure he understands the anxiety that they are going through just like those on the Kasempa/Mumbwa Road and the Kasempa/Kaoma/Kalulushi Road, which are in a terrible state. Now, to assure the people of Bweengwa and all other locations that are expectant of the roads emergency fund, is there an emergency plan or schedule that the hon. Minister can share with hon. Members so that we are all aware of what has been allocated to various roads?

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, I answered a similar question three days ago. Nonetheless, I will repeat what I said then. It is very difficult for us to give a schedule of works for emergencies because they are occurring on a daily basis, and immediately they happen, we get the RDA on site. We try as much as possible to use the Force Account system to deal with such problems because that way, we do not have to wait for procurement processes to get contractors. Obviously, contractors will charge us more money than the RDA for carrying out the actual works. So, it is very difficult. We were discussing one disaster the other day, and I said that the RDA is on the ground and that it was working on that. The RDA is probably done with that particular disaster and now working on another and a few others. It is still raining in other parts of the country and more disasters are occurring. Therefore, it would be very difficult for me to compile a schedule of works because works are being carried out on a daily basis just as disasters are emerging daily. So, please, just present your cases to our RDA offices and the ministry. Let us know of all disasters that occur. We want to be at hand to attend to them, and that is the promise I would give to the hon. Members of Parliament.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Zimba (Chasefu): Mr Speaker, I think the road in Bweengwa is just like the Lundazi/Chama Road and other roads in Zambia. We seem to be reactive and not proactive. We normally carry out emergency works and all. Is there a plan by the Government to fix these roads once and for all? I know the Government is financially constrained. However, I am not talking about upgrading the roads to bituminous standard, but whether there is a way that we can just maintain these roads to all-weather gravel to avoid carrying out emergency works each time so that the Government can save money? How does the Government plan to solve this problem once and for all?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, we require not less than K20 billion to do what the hon. Member is suggesting. We opened up many projects throughout the country, and to complete all of them at once will require not less than K20 billion. That is why are saying we have found ourselves in this situation and so, we must now begin to think about what roads are a priority. Do we need to upgrade all the roads to bituminous standard or can we phase the works? Can we start by having all weather gravel roads? Like we are saying, on this particular road, we have agreed that we are going to work on an all weather gravel road and, then, when funds permit, we raise this road to a bituminous road for the remaining 50 km. However, as we wait for all that to happen and we happen to have a disaster, we will move in and deal with the disaster. Before that, we will attend to a few roads whilst we mobilise funds for the other roads that require funds. It is not easy to do that because the total bill to work on all the roads in the country that we started is not less than K20 billion, and that money is not there, at the moment. We have to raise it.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

LUNTE/ZAKARIA/SENGA HILL ROAD TARRING

 

131. Mr Simbao (Senga Hill) asked the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development:

 

  1. when the tarring of the Lunte/Zakaria/Senga Hill road will commence;
  2. what has caused the delay in commencing the project; and
  3. what the time frame for the completion of the project is.

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, the upgrading to bituminous standard of the Lunte/Zakaria/Senga Hill road will only be undertaken once funds have been secured.

 

Sir, the project has delayed to be implemented due to non-availability of funds.

 

Mr Speaker, the project is expected to be completed within thirty-six months from the date of commencement.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Simbao: Mr Speaker, this road, as the hon. Minister knows, is a get-way to Mporokoso, Kawambwa and Mansa. It has become very important because of the tarring of the Mbala/Nakonde Road. Now, since the Government has no money to tar this road, is it impossible that the road can be made into an all weather gravel road so that business can flourish as it is happening right now?

 

Mr Mwale: Mr Speaker, yes, indeed, that is the option we will have to pursue now. However, we will not endeavour to begin this project before we can complete some of the projects that we have already committed to like the previous ones that we were talking about. Yes, we will down scale to an all weather gravel road which makes it a bit cheaper. However, at the moment, we have to focus on the roads that we are already implementing before we can come to this very important road, and I agree with the hon. Member.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

DISABLED KASEMPA SCHOOL PUPILS SUPPORT

 

132. Ms Tambatamba asked the Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare:

 

  1. whether the Government rendered any form of support to the pupils at Kasempa School for the Disabled, as of July, 2020;
  2. if so, what form of support was rendered;
  3. if no support was rendered, why; and
  4. what measures are being taken to ensure that the pupils at the school are supported.

 

The Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare (Ms Mulenga): Mr Speaker, the ministry disbursed funds to Kasempa District and other districts in the country for the Public Welfare Assistance Scheme (PWAS) late December 2020. The funds are meant to facilitate the delivery of services for PWAS, which includes the provision of education support to vulnerable pupils.

 

Sir, Kasempa District received funds in January 2021. However, these funds have, not been disbursed due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which delayed the opening of schools in the country. Currently, the ministry is working with the Ministry of General Education to verify the pupils to be provided with education support based on PWAS guidelines.

 

Mr Speaker, parts (c) and (d) of the question are not applicable as the ministry is already rendering support to the vulnerable pupils. Further, we are hopeful that the funding allocation for PWAS will be increased so as to enable the ministry to reach out to more vulnerable pupils as vulnerability has since increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Ms Tambatamba: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for that response. Does the Government have any plans to support this school, which is just emerging? It is a new school and so, will the ministry support this school with some infrastructure through a multi-sectoral perspective through which the ministry is working?

 

Ms Mulenga: Mr Speaker, yes, indeed, through the multi-sectoral approach, we will give support to the school. As a Government, we do not work in silos. So, obviously, my ministry working with the relevant ministry, which is the Ministry of General Education, will see if we are able to support the school under the Infrastructure Department because PWAS is coordinated with the Ministry of General Education. The Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare is also doing everything possible, through social corporate responsibility, to ensure that even as it supports these vulnerable children, the infrastructure in which these children are being taught is also upgraded.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Dr Malama (Kanchibiya): Mr Speaker, apologies for the delay in switching on the microphone. Let me appreciate the Patriotic Front (PF) Government for thinking about the disabled throughout the country, and at that school in particular. The hon. Minister has just answered the question I was to ask. So, I just want to commend the Government, especially concerning the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No.10 of 2019, which was brought to the House.

 

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the answers she has given so far. The hon. Minister has said that the ministry disbursed some funds to Kasempa District and that they were received in January 2021. Would the hon. Minister care to share how much has been released to Kasempa for this purpose? I am asking because most times when the vulnerable children go to this department to seek help, they are turned away because there is no money. So, mostly, you have no vulnerable persons or children, ...

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, you have already asked your question. You want to know how much has been released.

 

Mr Lufuma: Yes, I have.

 

Mr Speaker: Now you are debating.

 

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, I appreciate your guidance.

 

Ms Mulenga: Mr Speaker, with this very hardworking Government, we have seen the reduction of school fees annually. I believe a pupil pays K600. As of January 2021, Kasempa District received K21,735. The district is targeting to support ten pupils at the special unit of Kasempa Primary School at the cost of K10,000. Further, twenty-five pupils from Lufupa Day School will also be supported with school fees amounting to K5,000 while another twenty-five from Kasempa Day School will be placed on education support worth K5,000.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: The last intervention will be from the hon. Member for Kasempa.

 

Ms Tambatamba: Mr Speaker, I am aware that the ministry receives, as the hon. Minister acknowledged earlier on, a lot of support from various bilateral and multilateral partners, and from the private sector in form of wheelchairs and other assistive devices. Will the ministry be available to support pupils at the school for the disabled in Kasempa with some of the materials that it will receive in this financial year?

 

Ms Mulenga: Mr Speaker, indeed, we are giving a lot of support to persons living with disabilities, especially school-going children. We will actually be on our way to Kasempa because we received many requests from the district. However, my appeal to the hon. Member of Parliament is that we collaborate at district level. This is very important. It is also up to the hon. Member of Parliament to allow us to help disabled pupils in her area by giving submissions to our ministry so that we try as much as possible to cover even those pupils that we might not know of. We operate on an open door policy.

 

Sir, we are not just looking at pupils. We are also looking at the elderly, the disabled and those who are in areas that we are not able to reach. As area hon. Member of Parliament, she must have that information. So, I call upon my dear sister to give us this information so that when we go to Kasempa, we will take care of a large number of persons living with disabilities.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

_______

 

BILLS

 

FIRST READING

 

THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

The Minister of Finance (Dr Ng’andu): Mr Speaker, I beg to present a Bill entitled the Public-Private Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2021. The object of the Bill is to amend the Public-Private Partnership Act, 2009, so as to revise the composition of the Public-Private Partnership Technical Committee.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: The Bill stands referred to the Committee on National Economy, Trade and Labour Matters. The Committee is required to submit its report on the Bill to the House by Tuesday, 2nd March, 2021. Hon. Members who wish to make submissions on the Bill are free to do so within the programme of work of the Committee.

 

Thank you.

 

THE COMPENSATION FUND (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

The Minister of Justice (Mr Lubinda): Sir, I beg to present a Bill entitled the Compensation Fund (Amendment) Bill, No. 4 of 2021. The object of the Bill is to amend the Compensation Fund Act, 2016, so as to revise the composition of the Compensation Fund Committee.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Speaker: The Bill stands referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs, Human Rights, National Guidance, Gender Matters and Governance. The Committee is required to submit its report on the Bill to the House by Tuesday, 2nd March, 2021. Hon. Members who wish to make submissions on the Bill are free to do so within the programme of work of the Committee.

 

Thank you.

 

THE SERVICE COMMISSIONS (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

Mr Lubinda: Sir, I beg to present a Bill entitled the Service Commissions (Amendment) Bill, 2021. The object of the Bill is to amend the Service Commissions Act, 2016, so as to revise the composition of the Judicial Service Commission.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: The Bill stands referred to the Committee on Cabinet Affairs. The Committee is required to submit its report on the Bill to the House by Tuesday, 2nd March, 2021. Hon. Members who wish to make submissions on the Bill are free to do so within the programme of work of the Committee.

 

Thank you.

 

THE ZAMBIA INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

Mr Lubinda (on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Malanji)): Mr Speaker, I beg to present a Bill entitled the Zambia Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies (Amendment) Bill, No. 12 of 2021. The object of this Bill is to amend the Zambia Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies Act so as to revise the composition of the Board.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

 Mr Speaker: The Bill stands referred to the Committee on Cabinet Affairs. The Committee is required to submit its report on the Bill to the House by Tuesday, 2nd March, 2021. Hon. Members who wish to make submissions on the Bill are free to do so within the programme of work of the Committee.

 

Thank you.

 

THE ZAMBIA REVENUE AUTHORITY (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

Dr Ng’andu: Sir, before I introduce the Zambia Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill, No. 15 of 2021, allow me to make reference to the Zambia Revenue Authority Bill, No. 19 of 2020, which, with the leave of this House, I withdrew yesterday to facilitate further consultations.

 

Mr Speaker, the Executive recently made a policy decision with respect to the inclusion of Permanent Secretaries (PSs) on boards of statutory bodies. The decision of the Executive is that PSs should not sit on statutory boards as members. To effect this specific decision, a number of Bills have been presented or are still in the process of being presented to this august House so as to remove PSs from boards of statutory bodies. Therefore, the Zambia Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill, No. 15 of 2021 seeks to implement this policy directive and, therefore, make the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) compliant, in line with other statutory bodies.

 

Mr Speaker, on the other hand, the Zambia Revenue Authority Bill, No. 19 of 2020, which I withdrew yesterday sought to, among other objectives, revise the composition of the governing Board of the ZRA, revise the quorum of the governing board and also provide for meetings of the governing board. In short, the focus and objectives of this Bill are much broader than the Bill that I am proposing to present this afternoon.

 

Sir, I thought I needed to make this clarification in case some hon. Members of this House are wondering why a Bill that I withdrew yesterday is being reintroduced today.

 

Mr Speaker, I now beg to present a Bill entitled the Zambia Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill, No. 15 of 2021. The object of this Bill is to amend the Zambia Revenue Authority Act so as to revise the composition of the governing board.

 

Mr Speaker: The Bill stands referred to the Committee on National Economy, Trade and Labour Matters. The Committee is required to submit its report on the Bill to the House by Tuesday, 2nd March, 2021. Hon. Members who wish to make submissions on the Bill are free to do so within the programme of work of the Committee.

 

Thank you.

 

 THE ZAMBIA INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED LEGAL EDUCATION (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, I beg to present a Bill entitled the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (Amendment) Bill, No. 16 of 2021. The object of the Bill is to amend the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education Act so as to revise the composition of the council.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Speaker: The Bill stands referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs, Human Rights, National Guidance, Gender Matters and Governance. The Committee is required to submit its report on the Bill to the House by Tuesday, 2nd March, 2021. Hon. Members who wish to make submissions on the Bill are free to so within the programme of work of the committee.

 

Thank you.

 

THE ZAMBIA LAW DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, I beg to present a Bill entitled the Zambia Law Development Commission (Amendment) Bill, No. 17 of 2021. The object of the Bill is to amend the Zambia Law Development Commission Act, 2016 so as to revise the composition of the commission.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Speaker: The Bill stands referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs, Human Rights, National Guidance, Gender Matters and Governance. The Committee is required to submit its report on the Bill to the House by Tuesday, 2nd March, 2021. Hon. Members who wish to make submissions on the Bill are free to do so within the programme of work of the Committee.

 

Thank you.

 

_______

 

MOTION

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The Vice-President (Mrs Wina): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

 

Question put and agreed to.

_______

 

The House adjourned at 1624 hours until 0900 hours on Friday, 12th February, 2021.

 

____________